Huge Disappointment

Rating: 3/10 (3 August 2003)

I saw this film at a film festival about 5 months or so ago, but since it's just now received a wide US release, I figured I'd post my thoughts. First off, I'd like to put out there I love horror films probably more than any other genre of film, and I really enjoyed Trainspotting and The Beach. Soooo...lets put those 2 elements together, and something great should come out, right?
Not exactly....
This movie is pretty awful. It starts off amazingly enough. The first 45 minutes are great. I was really drawn in, and was expecting to come out of this film with a good experience. But things began to go downhill, and quick.
The first 45 mins are a solid horror outing. There are some great scares, and an excellent atmosphere. Then we move into the second phase of the film, which is a road trip across the UK. Any horror or suspense, or just about anything really entertaining is lost here. But whatever, the movie hit a bump, and the climax should be better.
Not so. This is the worst part of the film. Here we turn a zombie horror flick into a military operation. At this point, the zombie's become null. The whole point of the film is lost. Instead of the zombie's being the problem, it's now the soldiers, and this is where the climax happens. We are no longer at all focused on the problem that started the film. It's almost like 2 different films smooshed together.
So in the end, the only thing worthwhile about this movie is the first 45 minutes. But with everything that goes on for the next 70 mins, those 45 mins don't matter at all. Pass on this one.
Final Verdict: 3 out of 10